The US is breaking memorandums with European countries on countering disinformation, initiated under the Joe Biden administration, reports the Financial Times, citing sources. Last week, European governments already received notification from the US State Department about the termination of the memorandums of understanding.
The documents were signed in 2023-2024 and provided for a unified approach to identifying and exposing harmful information from Russia, China, and Iran.
The initiative was coordinated by the Global Engagement Center (GEC) — a State Department structure that dealt with combating foreign disinformation and propaganda from terrorist groups.
Former GEC head James Rubin criticized Washington's decision, calling it a "unilateral act of disarmament" in the information war. "The information war is a reality of our time, and artificial intelligence will only increase the risks associated with it," Rubin believes.
According to him, over the past year, about 22 countries in Europe and Africa joined the Biden administration's program, which aimed to create a joint system to counter information manipulation and develop a collective response to threats.
In March, the US withdrew from the International Center for the Investigation of Crimes of Aggression against Ukraine, which the Biden administration joined in 2023.
The group was created to hold the leadership of Russia, as well as its allies in Belarus, North Korea, and Iran, accountable for the category of crimes defined as aggression under international law and treaties, which violate the sovereignty of another country and are not initiated for self-defense purposes.
Photo: Reuters